From what I can tell, not really. But then we only have a fraction of what was said back then, and much of what we have involved theological disputes (arianism, etc.), and doesn't really cover what pastors might say to their flock in any given sermon. Also, a number of Fathers (Sts. Jerome and Augustine come to mind) admitted that what they said about sex often wasn't followed by the bulk of Christians. Of course they didn't really have dating as we think of the concept, nor other issues moderns deal with, or at least not to the same degree. Porn was around then as it is now, contraception was around then as now, etc... but again, probably not to the same degree.

« Last Edit: April 01, 2012, 07:40:56 PM by Asteriktos »

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"Christian America is finally waking up to what fraternities and biker gangs have known for years: hazing works!"

Was sex discussed as much and as such a big issue back in the day as it is now in the evangelical culture?

I can't wait for the post-Christian cultural taboos to wear-off. The obsession is cumbersome. Of course, non-Christian cultures like Japan seem very deviant to me in certain respects, so it might just move into total gross-fest.

almost every letter written in the new testament tells the Christians not to be 'like the gentiles' with debauchery, drunkeness and sexual immorality, so yes, it was a big problem for the community at that time.i don't know how much north american evangelicals discuss sex, but back when i was a protestant teenager, the idea of spending time alone in the evening with a boyfriend / girlfriend was a no-go area. there always had to be a parent, aunt, or annoying little brother / sister around in the house to quell the passions. the young people i grew up with were just as anxious as their parents to not 'go too far' and sin. contraception was definitely not considered to be appropriate before marriage.it was quite a shock after i grew up and married and made friends from other churches, that i found out some of them had been brought up with a more liberal approach. i naively thought that only those who were not Christians had sex before marriage. those around us were having lots of sex, but we knew it wasn't for us.so we did not discuss it much, because it was not necessary.

Was sex discussed as much and as such a big issue back in the day as it is now in the evangelical culture?

I can't wait for the post-Christian cultural taboos to wear-off. The obsession is cumbersome. Of course, non-Christian cultures like Japan seem very deviant to me in certain respects, so it might just move into total gross-fest.

Contrary to the impression created by Japanese tentacle porn and local phallic festivals, the vast majority of Japanese have a strong sense of propriety about sex and many are even rather disinterested in it. While there is all manner of depravity available in Tokyo if you know where to look, there is zero sex in advertising and, where flesh is bared, it is usually reasonably restrained by Western standards.

The Japanese also do not have the bizarre hang ups of Americans when it comes to nakedness.

I think the Japanese do pretty well as a culture which has not had the revelation of Christ to assist in values-formation.

To be honest, I think that our ancestors in the Church had it easier in regards to sex than we do today. Urging someone back then to remain abstinent until their marriage was an easier task because people could get married at a much earlier age and not have to wait and fight the urges for so long. But now, telling someone to wait until they are married is a much harder task because we cannot get married as earlier in today's society. Most people don't get married now until they are 24-30; back then which would have been considered a middle-aged man. However, that is not to say that we still cannot learn from what the Fathers taught and apply it to ourselves, because, I think that we still can apply what they said in a practical way today, only, it is MUCH harder for us than it was for them.

That being said, as a former Protestant, my parents never really made sex that big of a deal. They never lied to me about it and told me the truth about what it was. However, they also taught me that waiting, at least in their eyes, was the safest option. But, that there are also contraceptives and that if I am going to disobey them, then I should at least be safe. I guess they sort of just left it as an option for me as to what I want to do. They've never stopped me from dating or have never prevented me from spending time alone from a female. They just hope that I make the right choices. I think that a lot of this sympathetic attitude they have comes from the fact that they had me before they were married so they do not want to look like hypocrites or lie to me in order to scare me into abstinence like most Protestant parents do. Even more strange is that my mother actually encourages me to date, while my father just lectures me all the time about not being stupid..